Submitted by
Matthew Barker
Kathleen Ferrier as Nicklaus?
Matthew writes :-
As a follow up to my email which mentioned Kathleen Ferrier's recording
of "I know where I'm going", I remembered she had a more concrete connection
with PnP when she was offered a part in "The Tales of Hoffmann". I assume
she was going to act and sing the part of Nicklaus which eventually went
to Pamela Brown. The following is an extract from Maurice Leonard's biography
of Kathleen:
"A stack of letters awaited her in Montreal [she was on tour in Canada -
MB], among which was an offer to appear in a feature film. Producers Michael
Powell and Emeric Pressburger were making, in England, a screen version
of Offenbach's Tales of Hoffmann. This would be in colour and Becham had
agreed to conduct.
'Me in a film? Pon me soul' she wrote to Emmie. 'I don't know the part or
if it's suitable, and could the cameraman remove remove my curves? [Kathleen
was actually very beautiful! - MB] But I couldn't give a definite answer
just now till I know more about it. It would be interesting if it were rewarding
- musically and financially.'
In the end commitments would not permit her to accept the offer, but it
is unlikely she was too disappointed, as the idea of acting in front of a
camera filled her with terror. Also ahe did not relish the idea of working
with Beecham who could be, to say the least, impolite to singers on occasion.
Although she recognized the kudos of working with him, she had no desire
to become a target for any possible abuse. When she had auditioned for
him at Glyndebourne her circumstances had been different. At this stage
in her career she could afford to be choosy.
Anyway it was probably just as well Kathleen had not taken the role, as
when Tales of Hoffmann was released critic Gavin Lambert dismissed it as
'the most spectacular failure yet achieved by Powell and Pressburger'. Nowadays,
it is a curiosity which, from time to time, pops up on television."
I wasn't sure whether to include the last bit or not, but decided the whole
extract was more interesting with it. Anyway, we nearly got Kathleen on
film, but unfortunately she did not take the offer. She still had a tenuous
link with the finished film in that she worked with and was friends with
Ann Ayars who was Antonia. They both did Gluck's "Orfeo" at Glyndebourne.
I always think that "Orfeo" with Kathleen Ferrier would have made a great
PnP film with the opportunity for opera and dance, and the prospect of Hein
Heckroth designing hell. One of my wish projects.
Update by Matthew on 24th November 2003...
Reading the new edition of Kathleen Ferrier's letters and diaries - a good
laugh if you get the chance to read them!
In a letter to her American accompanist on 1st May 1950 she mentions:
"Sir Thomas Beecham's secretary has just left me - he was wanting to know if
I would record some Delius songs mit him on Columbia, but I don't think
Decca will keep on lending me - but it's nice to be asked. He has told me
that Ann Ayars is doing Antonia in the film of Hoffman! - it would have been
fun to be there with her - but I couldn't do it anyway 'cos I'm in Wien."
So Sir Thomas may not have been the ogre Maurice Leonard made him out to be
in his biography of Kathleen,
Matthew
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